mark@masscomp.westford.ccur.com (Mark Thompson) (05/10/91)
Well Stephen Menzies requested some info on REAL3D so here it is, copied
VERBATIM from their flyer. I am posting it here since there might be
others interested and because my path to Stephen doesn't work :-(
Personally, I highly distrust companies that make bold blanket claims
like "REAL3D is REALly the fastest 3D rendering program" without a shard
of evidence to back it up. Also I have not seen any images from REAL3D
that even approach the quality of Lightwave or Imagine. Anyway, here it is
FYI.
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% ` ' Mark Thompson CONCURRENT COMPUTER %
% --==* RADIANT *==-- mark@westford.ccur.com Principal Graphics %
% ' Image ` ...!uunet!masscomp!mark Hardware Architect %
% Productions (508)392-2480 (603)424-1829 & General Nuisance %
% %
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The REAL THING For Amiga Users
Real 3D version 1.3
* Solid modelling/ray tracing and animation tool *
* Object and scene design *
* Materials *
* Logical operations *
* Object surface mapping *
* 2D/3D input *
* Animation creation & edit *
* Still rendering *
* Animation play *
REAL3D IS THE REAL THING FOR DEMANDING AMIGA USERS BECAUSE:
1. It is the REAL 3D professional tool for Desk Top Video,
2. The REAL 3D picture design aid for professional Desk Top Publishing,
3. Once you enter, late you leave. Every session you discover new REALly
impressing possibilities. REAL3d is mouse driven and hence very user
friendly. Within short time any experienced Amiga user designs amazing
pictures and animations. REAL3D's power includes a wealth of easy
accessable commands, objects, materials, interfaces etc. to DTP, SLR
camera and video registration.
WARNING! Once you enter the REAL3D world you are REALly lost.
[nice qoute, same goes for the Imagine documentation :-) -Mark]
THE REAL OBJECT AND SCENE DESIGN
REAL-time 3D wireframe viewing
* object hierarchy for ease of use
* smoothly curved surfaces (no unwanted surface edges or corners)
* new 2D plane polygon tool
* new 3D object promatives: polyhedron and conical tube
* new 'move paint' function for primatives as cone and pyramid
* new smooth shape lathe tool
* new protect/uprotect object hierarchies
* 3D fonts
* absolute and/or relative measuring (coords)
* three visible range levels: All, Parent, and Current for faster screen update
* fast preview modes: hidden line, outline, lampless, shadowless
* keyboard shortcuts for more experienced users
* macros for creating and modifying animations
* object coupled database for time and/or cost calculation
THE REAL MATERIALS
* new materials properties: specular reflection sharpness and brightness
* new fog effect (turbidity)
* new effects: reflecting objects, made invisible
* new gadgets: Dpaint-style material icon selection window
* new percentage display
THE REAL LOGICAL OPRERATIONS
* AND, AND NOT, EOR, and DIVIDE: change objects into (temporary) tools
in order to cut, split, partially delete, divide etc.
* new: after logical operations 'rethink' adjusts operated object wireframe
* logical operations '+ color' affects operated surface: e.g. mirror hole
in birch wooden cube
THE REAL LIGHT
* theoretically unlimited number of light sources
* light refraction (speed of light gadget) for REAL optics
* baselight, backgound light
THE REAL OBJECT SURFACE MAPPING
* parallel, cylinder, spherical and spiral bitmap projection
* clip mapping: bitmap texture (color zero) deletes object surface
* bump mapping: bitmap texture deforms object surface; red signal brightness
defines relative bump height (also gadget for absolute bump height)
* opaque versus transparency mapping controlled by brightness of blue
bitmap texture
* matt versus briliance mapping controlled by brightness of green bitmap
texture
* color mapping (without bitmaps) is default texture mapping; these five
* mapping methods may be used simultaneously!
THE REAL 2/3D INPUT
* polyvalent input: IFF pictures and brushes
* new Sculpt object/scenes->REAL convert
THE REAL ANIMATION CREATION & EDIT
* orbits directory with ready-made animations for quick production
* new key frame style motion creation and editing
* new motion controlled object direction ('car driving a curved road')
* new texture animation support ('next screen, next texture map')
THE REAL STILL RENDERING
* new adjustable image size from any smaller-then-screen box size up to
1024 * 1024 picture
* better memory management and up to 100% faster rendering
* conventional Amiga IFF including HAM and greyscale rendering
* 24 bitplane TARGA/VISTA and IFF ILBM output for 16.7 million colors
* new special single Photo24 (about 640x500 visible) screenrender for SLR
camera
* new anti-aliasing up to 9 levels, at minimum rendering speed reduction
THE REAL ANIMATION PLAY
* new: save wireframe animations as IFF
* Deltaplay for same palette/display mode IFF pics forward AND reverse
* saving animation in Anim5 format
* REALplay for different palette/display mode IFF pictures
* new sequential single frame rendering for video registration
* simple ASCII command scripts
* within ASCII command script room for any ("double quoted") CLI command
* direct keyboard commands
* concatenation of subsequent REALplay scripts
* Blon/Bloff (block screens) CLI utility between animation scripts
STORAGE
* This powerful Amiga program requires a minimum of 1Mb RAM, so Amiga 500 users
may start with REAL3D. For more color bitplanes, rendering surface and/or
animation length 3Mb RAM and some 10Mb hard disk space are recommended. Notice
that a rendered 1024 * 1024 24 bitplane image needs some 3Mb storage!
MONITOR DISPLAY
* A special Amiga frame buffer card and a professional monitor are needed
to show all 16.7 million colors simultaneously.
RENDERING SPEED
* REAL3D is REALly the fastest 3D rendering program. However, speed will
improve by using the REAL3D Turbo version with the 68020 or 68030 processor.
USER EXPERIENCE
* The user should have some Amiga experience. REAL3D has a modestly priced
update for registered owners of REAL3D version 1.2 (professional and
turbo version).
REAL3D is a registered trademark of REALSOFT KY, Finland.
Other products mentioned before are trademarks of their respective owners.
REAL3D is internationally marketed by ACTIVA INTERNATIONAL B.V.
P.O. Box 23260
1100 DT Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
Phone: Int + 31 20 691 19 14menzies@CAM.ORG (Stephen Menzies) (05/12/91)
mark@masscomp.westford.ccur.com (Mark Thompson) writes: >Well Stephen Menzies requested some info on REAL3D so here it is, copied >[lots and lots of info deleted] >%~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~% >% --==* RADIANT *==-- mark@westford.ccur.com Principal Graphics % >% ' Image ` ...!uunet!masscomp!mark Hardware Architect % >% Productions (508)392-2480 (603)424-1829 & General Nuisance % >% % > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks Mark, REALly appreciated. Strange connection we have. I'll have to try e-mailling a message to you. Maybe it works in that direction. Thanks again! --stephen -- Stephen Menzies Email: S.Menzies@CAM.ORG